WEST SCOTLAND’S GLACIAL LANDSCAPE stretches out as far as the eye can see. Traveling further north, crossing glens and sea lochs, the balmy air hangs heavy with the distant cry of gulls and the smell of salt. As we stop to unpack our lunch, a large shadow passes over a U-shaped valley, its enormous wingspan carrying it towards the Isle of Mull. This formidable shadow is the white-tailed eagle, commonly known as the sea eagle, the United Kingdom’s largest raptor. These days, they have become a symbolic icon, representing the fears, frustrations and devotion of many who live here.

For some, the presence of this bird is a conservation success. For others, it embodies a lack of external support and isolation from the capital. This mixed reaction is a byproduct of differing connections to the land that have shaped the Highlands for generations and how its stakeholders choose to defend it.

Nearly 50 years after their reintroduction to Scotland, white-tailed eagles have continually sparked complex discussions on the interplay between human activity and wildlife restoration.

Researcher and photojournalist Mirali Shukla talks with conservationists and farmers about the return of these once-endangered eagles to the Scottish skies and finds they have more common ground than widely thought.

Photo by Mirali Shukla

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